Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves, according to theo
ry, an underlying impairment of executive function-the cognitively based co
ntrol system that regulates behavior. It is possible that this executive dy
sfunction interferes with performance on certain tasks used to identify lan
guage impairment (LI). We compared the performance of 3 groups of children
aged 7 to 11 years: ADHD-only (n = 25), ADHD+LI (n = 28), and non-ADHD cont
rols (n = 24), on 18 tasks within 3 language measures (Test of Word Finding
, Rosner's Auditory Analysis Test, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamen
tals-Revised). Children with ADHD-only performed like those without the dis
order on most tasks examined. However, the CELF-R Formulated Sentences subt
est was particularly difficult for children with ADHD-only. In-depth error
analysis indicated that aspects of the executive dysfunction in ADHD such a
s impulsivity and pragmatic deficits may have influenced performance on thi
s subtest. Clinical implications for testing children with ADHD are discuss
ed.